Vladek has been affected by the war and it is even stated that some
parts of him did not live through the war. What is not talked about is what
parts did live through and fundamentally changed. Many of Vladek's character traits
that we see in the first book, such as frugality, resourcefulness, and logical
nature, are extenuated here. Surviving the death camps has a very similar
effect that surviving a war has. The experience is traumatic and trains people
to live a certain way that doesn't work anywhere else. The death camps kill
some of the less prominent character traits and amplify the most dominant ones.
This explains why Vladek is the way he is today. Why also, like what we talked
about in class, he expects the world to be a world of favors. It is because he
lived a certain way for a very long period of time and the way to survive were
ingrained in his brain forever. Vladek is naturally a survivor and since this
is seen as the best way to survive in the world he continues to be the way he
is. Vladek is a product of his environment like most people are.
Perhaps the Holocaust though extremely tragic changed Vladek for the better and enhanced his personality in a positive way. You do not literally say this in the blog but I feel like you might have hinted at the idea which I happen to agree with. For example resourcefulness and logical nature are all typically good dominant traits that are exhibited by Vladek and were therefore enhanced in the camp as you stated. Vladek’s survivor persona could possibly benefit him if something traumatic similar to the holocaust happens once again. To be put in general some traumatic experiences can result in bringing out ones most dominant and practical strengths or traits as observed through the story of Vladek.
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